


Pick A Card

by ObsessedWithEverything808



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 21:15:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15057956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsessedWithEverything808/pseuds/ObsessedWithEverything808
Summary: They're going to kill me.- L.L.





	Pick A Card

**Author's Note:**

> Because I need magician!Luthors in my life...don't ask me why. The story isn't going to make much sense, but I do what I want.

"Look alive, people."

Kara turns her head to give her attention to the chief, but doesn't at all stop in her continuous flicking of small pieces of paper at Winn's forehead (they hit their mark every time, and James snickers each time).  Winn, her partner and personal target board, squirms in his seat with an irritated huff, mouthing 'STOP', but with Kara's attention elsewhere she doesn't see it, and instead flicks once more and lands a piece of paper right into his open mouth.  He chokes, and James has to slap a hand over his lips to stop from guffawing while their boss, J'onn, gives the three of them an unimpressed look.

"What's up, chief?" Kara asks after clearing her throat, sitting up straighter and giving off the impression that she's serious now and not at all tempted to flick just _one_ more paper ball.  

"We got an anonymous letter this morning," he responds, voice low and gravelly as always, which always makes Kara and her sister, Alex, think he's constantly in dire need of a cough drop.  He places a white envelop on James' desk, Kara and Winn shuffling over to get a good look at it while James opens it.  "It's not good."

Kara's brows furrow, infamous 'crinkle' as her sister calls it popping up on her forehead as she skims over the page.  The paper is crisp and fresh, and extremely blank aside from just one sentence at the very top, handwriting pristine and proper, though obviously rushed, which strikes her as odd.

_They're going to kill me._

Her throat constricts as Winn's nose scrunches up in confusion at the short message.  There are no clues, no nothing, and that just makes her gut twist in that uncomfortable and unsettling way that she knows will keep her up at night until they crack the case.  

The only other thing that adorns the piece of paper are the initials  _\- L.L._ , and that just makes the entire thing that much more eerie and, honest to God, baffling.  She has no idea where to start on this, and by the looks of Winn's shifting beside her and James' nervous licking of his lips, she can tell that they don't either.  The message is blunt and terrifying, and obvious call (re: scream) for help, but there's no name, only initials.  It's as if the person wants help, but doesn't want anyone to know _who_ to help.  As if they're scared of help.

So, whoever is trying to kill them must be a threat that shouldn't be taken lightly.  They must be calculated and manipulative, impending enough to raise fear, though aloof enough to have not done it yet, and controlling enough to have whoever is calling for help to _not want_ to call for help even if they _need_ it.  

"Alex is already searching for leads, but there isn't much to give us a head start.  We need all hands on deck for this one," J'onn continues as the three of them stare with blank gazes and racing hearts at the message.  

"Understood, sir," James says, careful hands placing the letter back down on his desk.

Later, when everyone is packed up and ready to call it a day, Kara slips by James' desk and pockets the envelope in her coat. 

Alex catches the action, but doesn't say anything.

***

"Who are you?" Kara asks aloud, to nobody in particular of course, since she's home alone, but a small part of her is talking to someone in particular, praying for answers.  She grips the piece of paper in her hands, turning it this way and that, shifting in her bed and trying to look at it from different angles, _anything_ to give her a hint or clue.  There's something so striking and enticing about the letter, whoever wrote it having to be sneaky and crafty enough to slip it into the station without being detected, though also scared enough to not give any actual breadcrumbs to follow.  They went through all that trouble to be noticed, but didn't leave anything that will actually get them noticed.  It's a paradox that has Kara's mind reeling, and it makes her feel challenged and almost taunted, as if someone is daring her to try and figure this out.

And she will.

***

"So, you got anything?" Alex says in lieu of greeting once Kara walks into the office, tie crooked and belt missing a single loop of her pants.  She raises a brow at her sister's appearance, knowing that it means Kara's mind is somewhere else since she's usually so adamant about looking professional and serious about work.

"No," Kara groans, biting her lip as she avoids eye contact, clearly not pleased with herself. 

"My turn, then?"

Kara seems apprehensive and hesitant about handing the letter over, almost growing attached to it, but nonetheless hands it over to her sister, knowing that no good will come from her hiding it away for herself.

***

Winn cracks the code one day later, Alex ruffling his hair in praise that the man does  _not_ enjoy, J'onn nodding as his eyes narrow on the screen, James furthering the search on his own computer screen now that they have a lead.  Kara's heart beats harder in her chest, something feeling  _right_ , as if looking at Winn's screen and seeing the faces of their case, she  _knows_ that this is where they're supposed to start.  

_The Luthor Lure!  Come join the magical festivities of the Luthor family of magicians and have your mind blown every Tuesday and Thursday at whatever venue these stars appear-_

_Luthor Lure Scandal?!  The Luthors are in trouble with authorities after show goes wrong-_

_Lionel Luthor and Lillian Luthor introduce Lex Luthor!_

_Mother-Father duo introduce new act to show in order to appease authorities and fix family name-_

_Lex Luthor stuns audience with magic curtain!_

_Who is Lena Luthor and what will she bring to the show?!  Find out this Tuesday as the Luthor Lure introduce adopted daughter!_

Kara blinks.

"They all have the same initials."

Silence.

Then, a loud "FUCK!" sounds from Alex's desk.

***

"I called Samantha Arias."

"Am I supposed to know who that is?"

"No, but you should know that she has eyes and ears everywhere, and she just so happens to owe me a favor."

"What's this favor?"

"The next venue the Luthors are performing."

Kara looks at the calendar.  "Today is Thursday."  Alex just nods knowingly.  "We're going?"

"We're going.  But Sam made me promise that it be just us two, no James or Winn."

"I thought she was _Samantha_?"

Alex says nothing, just grabs her coat and walks off, leaving Kara to scramble after her.  

***

The show is spectacular, and nothing seems weird between any of the family members on stage, no tension, no  _nothing_.  In fact, they seem perfectly happy and as loving and appreciative of each other as any other family would, if not a bit more because showbiz surely requires extra affectionate tones and doting in order to make it through the stresses of the public eye.

The only tension in the room is between Kara's shoulders and in Alex's temples, both ticked off that their lead is looking to be a bust.  That means they've just wasted an entire night watching crazy lights and incredible feats of legerdemain, while they could've been working on the case.  

It isn't until they're midway through the show, when each family member takes over the show to do a little solo act.  Lionel does the classic "I'm sawing a woman's body in half while she lays in a box, but oh!  Look!  I didn't really!  Got you there!", and Lillian drinks from a never ending glass, which is actually kind of cool, and Alex whispers about wishing that she had one of those herself.  Lex disappears and reappears in random areas of the stage, and even in the audience, and okay, wow, Kara is actually pretty impressed and has fallen into the altered reality where hey, maybe magic really  _does_ exist.  

Then reality comes crashing back down, and the lights and music give way to Lena Luthor making her way towards she and Alex, eyes focused and burning even though the rest of her is aloof and still clearly in showman mode.  She's wearing a mask, and only now that she's up close can Kara see it.  From onstage everything about Lena looked the same as her family, but now that she's apart from them and alone, there's something different about her, and something that sets her apart.  

"Pick a card, any card," the Luthor bellows, loud enough for the crowd to hear as they all watch with anticipation, waiting for Kara to do as the magician has asked.  She reveals a deck of cards with a flourish of her (wow,  _lovely_ ) hands, perfect eyebrow arched in a dare.

_Dare_.

_Taunt_.

_Challenge_.

The same feeling the letter gave her is suddenly rushing through her.

She reaches forward with the support and shouts from the audience around her, Alex even nudging her shoulder with excitement and curiosity.  Spirits are high and everyone is having a great time, whistling and waiting... Looking into Lena's eyes, Kara sees the same waiting, though it's darker.  She's just as pushy as the audience is, just with her eyes rather than voice, waiting for her to grab a card,  _needing_ her to grab a card.

Kara does as she silently pleads.

"Don't show anyone else," Lena reminds, following the classic rules of any card trick, smile blindingly perfect as she flashes the rest of the crowd with it, the showman culture imprinted in her every action.  

Kara lifts the card to her face, careful to not even let Alex get a look at it.

_Help_

Her heart drops, eyes honing in on the single word on a blank card, no numbers or suit, just a cry for  _Help_.  She keeps her facial features in check, making sure she gives no sign of having seen anything unexpected, and Lena seems to appreciate it with the way she looks just a bit impressed.

"Have you memorized it?"

How could she not?

She nods.

"Good!  Now, put it back.  I promise I won't peek," Lena says, making a show of covering her eyes with one hand, the audience laughing at her gesture, knowing that whether she looks or not has nothing to do with how these tricks work.  Kara does as she says, watching carefully and Lena slides the cards back together and starts shuffling, and to Kara's amazement she sees that the rest of the cards are  _real_ cards, with suits and numbers and everything, so how did she get her to pick the right-... Kara ignores the question in her head, knowing that thinking about it will just make her head hurt.  

Lena steps back a bit, now done with her shuffling, and suddenly lifts a card for all to see.

"Is this your card?"

Uh...no, because she didn't really have a card in the first place.  Is she supposed to go along with it, or is she supposed to tell the truth and say it's not?  She looks to Lena for answers, but the woman only has the same smile and quirked eyebrow as always.

"Uhm...no."

The audience falls, gasps of shock and whispers of surprise at the failure echoing through the room.  Lena lets it go on for a while, then sighs to herself.  Kara starts to feel bad for not going with it, now realizing that she probably should've, but then a smirk is grazing those beautiful lips, and now the blonde detective is just confused.  

"Well, that's too bad," the Luthor states, voice clear and loud enough to draw the attention of the room back to her.  She doesn't look like a failure, and Kara can sense the bumbling energy and high spirits rising again, knowing that something else is about to happen.  "But..." she continues, lifting her arm and slowly tugging the sleeve of her blazer down, and once her wrist is revealed, Kara almost has a heart attack.  "Is this your watch?"

The audience goes crazy, and Alex grasps Kara's arm as her jaw drops in awe just like the rest of them because _yes, it is_.

Kara looks down at her own wrists, seeing it bare even though she had her watch on just a second ago, and now it's adorning Lena's wrist instead of her own.  

What the actual fuck?

She nods dumbly, and the crowd cheers, Lena bowing as the clapping and hollers of excitement continue.  The Luthor then brings back out the deck of cards she had before, letting the cards fly out of her hand with just the right amount of pressure at the ends of the deck, creating a flurry of red and white, a wall of cards blocking her from view for the slightest second.

When the cards clear, Lena Luthor is gone.

While Kara and Alex are walking out of the small theatre and heading back to Kara's apartment to digest and process the event together, the blonde stuffs her hands into her pockets, grasping at the insides in habit of stress and needing to just hold onto something to get her head back on track.  Her eyes widen when her hands brush against something, and she pauses just as she and her sister have rounded the corner.  People walk and push past them, chattering animatedly about what they'd just seen, but Kara is only focused on the curl of her fingers against the material she's touched before during celebratory drinks at the office, at game nights with poker chips and way too many hurt egos, and just moments ago with one Lena Luthor looking at her with a mix of trepidation and hope.  

A card from a deck.

When she pulls it out of her pocket, she sees that its the same one she had picked earlier, the  _Help_ written on it in the same handwriting that's on the anonymous letter they found at the station.

Now they know which  _L.L._ it's from.

***

They all take turns going to the shows.  

They can't all go every night since that would be obvious and just a bit too stupid.

Someone brings up the idea of Lena's own family trying to kill her, and James says it wouldn't make any sense for them to do that since they've already introduced Lena to the limelight, and it would not only be bad business to try and kill one of their performers, but also a straight ticket towards another scandal.  Winn brings up Lex and Lena's relationship, saying that they seem like a really great brother-sister duo, so it can't be him.  Alex says it could be a secret sibling rivalry, but Winn continues to disagree.  James says that when he researched, he found that Lionel's name popped up more in news of the scandal, and that his name is what brought the negative connotations to the Luthor name, so maybe he might be the insane one that is trying to kill his family.  

Kara doesn't listen to any of them, not even part of the discussion in J'onn's office as she does her own thinking at her desk, musing over every interaction she's seen and the way Lena recoils at every touch from her family, even if its just the slightest step to the side or the small grimace that takes hold of her face for all of .2 seconds.  The Luthor is obviously trained in the ways of show business, a smile and glowing flare on her face every second to give off the impression of a show, no human underneath with personal emotions, or else it wouldn't be a show.  

She gets deep into the fan pages and anonymous accounts that tell tales of the Luthor Lure and the gossip that leads to more and more information that makes a headache start to pinch at the back of her head, glasses feeling heavy on her face as they slide down her nose, eyes skimming and shifting left to right in order to soak everything up.  

She reads of how Lionel and Lillian used to be just a duo, traveling the world together and amazing crowds from every corner of the Earth, only stopping when an optical illusion with flames went out of hand, and after inspection, authorities and conspiracists believe that the fluke wasn't a fluke at all, and that the equipment was tampered with before hand to malfunction, which is where the scandal comes in.  Lillian and Lionel wouldn't say anything, just hid away and waited for everything to fade away.  It somehow did, and they returned to showbiz, but only remained in Metropolis rather than travel the world like before, their son Lex now joining them to seem more family friendly.  Suddenly, the family took a small break from their shows, and three years later news broke out that the family grew one person larger, Lena Luthor a new adoption that seemed to have come out of nowhere.  Since then, tension between Lionel and Lillian has been widely discussed, rumors of an affair and harsh feelings towards each other because of it popping up all over the internet.  The Luthor name is now synonymous with rumored evil intent and adultery.

All of that, and Kara still doesn't understand anything about why Lena Luthor might be getting killed.  

***

Kara sticks around in the theatre after the next show she's scheduled to watch, making her way to the restrooms and feigning use of it as other ladies chat about and finish washing their hands.  Once again nothing seemed weird or out of the ordinary about the show, nor the Luthors interacting throughout it.  It was once again family friendly, nothing dangerous or crazy happening, and she's just as stumped as she's been this entire month.  

The doors close, signaling that all other occupants have left, and Kara emerges from her stall, looking at herself in the mirror and taking a deep breath to herself.  She sighs, wondering when she became such a failure of a detective, and turns the faucet in order to gather some water to splash over her face, hoping to wake her mind up.  She closes her eyes as the water washes over her, then brings her hands up to wipe what she can off, uncomfortable, as any other human would be, with opening her eyes with water droplets all over her eyelids.  

It's then that she sees the body behind her, eyes wide in the mirror as she quickly turns to face Lena Luthor.  

"When did... How-..What?!" she gasps, jaw opening and closing to make her resemble a fish out of water, and Lena is quick to rush forward and clamp a hand over her mouth, hushing her.

"You're a detective, yes?"  Kara nods, the hand over mouth following with the motion.  "Good."

Then, they're kissing.

Like full on, tongue on tongue, lips on lips (well, duh), hands on skin... _everything_.  It doesn't make sense, but hell if Kara would ever complain about such a trivial thing and  _sense_.  Who the fuck cares when Lena Luthor, pretty and mysterious little thing, is  _kissing_ you.  Lipstick is everywhere, Kara can tell that much with the way the other woman's lips roam and slip across her face, almost purposeful in making marks, and wow there's a hand up her shirt and hand sliding into her back pocket.  She didn't know she wanted this until now, and she's never going to stop wanting it, she can tell that much.

It stops far too soon, and Lena somehow looks just as pristine and perfect as she did before their messy lip lock.  

"Tell your team to stop coming, my parents are catching on.  You have a cover now, so don't fuck it up."

"What?"

"Meet me at the address I gave you."

"You didn't-"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence before Lena is walking out of the bathroom, leaving Kara breathless and puzzled against the sink counter.  

She collects herself after several minutes of just standing there, staring at the walls of the empty space.

When she exits the bathroom, she catches the eye of Lex Luthor, the young man standing down the hall, watching her as if he was waiting.  She's suddenly aware that she forgot to wipe her face, Lena's lipstick marks very much still burning across her skin.  He eyes her, glancing down at her neck where more marks scream for attention, then looks back up to her face, smirking in a teasing manner before walking off in the same mysterious fashion Lena did.  

Does he...does he know?  Does he think they-...that she and Lena?  

Oh.

OH.

Lena did that on purpose, knowing that someone would be waiting and watching her.  

The "cover" Lena spoke of earlier is the fact that Lex now thinks she and Lena were making out like horny teenagers in the bathroom (which they kinda were), not planning to meet up or discussing any plans, and sure as hell not making her look at all like the prestigious and professional detective she is, taking away all credit she would carry if he didn't just see her with his sister's lipstick marks all over her.  

Holy shit, Lena's a genius...

And a really good kisser.

***

"How did you know to give me that card?" Kara asks the moment she and Lena are alone in the alleyway she was instructed to meet the Luthor in (address found in her wallet, stuffed between her credit and debit card, which she's not very comfortable with since she still has no clue how the other woman managed to do that without her knowledge).  

"You reek of authorities, Danvers.  I can smell it all over you."

"How the hell do you know my name?"

"You really think I haven't seen your ID?"

Kara pauses, once again uncomfortable with the thought of that, but pushes forward, knowing that she doesn't have time to ponder about that.  

"Fine, whatever...  Just... Who is it?"

"That's trying to kill me?"

"No, that's trying to plan your birthday party," Kara sasses, the sarcasm drawing a smile out of the Luthor.  "Of course that's trying to kill you!  I've got no leads, and you're lucky that we even found you.  Do you know how little that letter gave us?"

"I had two seconds to write it and a very small window to get it to the station.  Surely that was enough if you're here now, so stop complaining.  I did what I could."

"Okay, you're right...but you have me now.  Tell me."

"You know about the accident that happened at one of Lionel and Lillian's shows in the past, yes?"  Kara finds it odd that she didn't just say "parents'", but she can tell by the way Lena tenses while speaking their names that the relationship between them isn't as warm and fuzzy as they make it seem during the shows.  "It wasn't an accident, and it was very much staged.  It was also planned to take place at that very venue, they having built up enough fame to have very high up guests RSVP."

"I'm guessing they were targeting them?"

"Lionel has a thirst for revenge, and some of those guests were classmates of his from college.  He was a business major, and things were very competitive, and they tampered with his final project to ruin his grade that would've gotten him to the top of his class and accepted into any program to further his education and career that he so wished."

"He went from a business major to a magician."  

"Magic shows are all about the man behind the curtain, about tricking the eyes and doing things behind the scenes.  Lionel's magic isn't just card tricks, it's murder."

"He made sure the "accident" would happen-"

"And half of his enemies ended up dead.  Now, he just needs to finish them off."

"So where do you come in?"

"I'm an enemy, not only to him but also to Lillian.  I'm the bastard child that came as a result of Lionel's affair, and Lillian has it out for me."

"You're not adopted?"

Lena shakes her head.  

"So Lillian hates you."

"That's putting it lightly..."

"And Lionel...?"

"Lex and I are supposed to be in on his and Lillian's plans for mass murder, but I'm only half related to them, so it seems the evil genes are only half clouding my judgement.  I see it as wrong, and they know that I do."

"You're not on their side, so-"

"They have no choice but to kill me, because I won't rest until they're put behind bars."

"I won't let that happen."

Lena considers her for a long moment, green-no, blue-no, green (?) eyes taking her in and sparkling under the night sky.  

"You care?"

"Of course I do."

"I didn't think anyone would..."

"Is that why you left such a clueless message?"

"They always tell me that nobody will listen to me, so there's no point in telling anyone anyway.  I knew I had to try, but... I don't know, really.  I guess I'm scared that they're right.  They're very convincing, especially Lillian."

"We're going to get you out of this-"

"No," Lena says, shaking her head and laughing bitterly.  "This isn't about me, Kara Danvers.  This is about making things right.  I used my life as bait, and I'm willing to use it as a distraction as well.  Just make sure they're behind bars, and maybe my life will mean something."

***

"Samantha Arias."

Kara sighs, glad that she's gotten the right number.  "Hey, this is Kara Danvers."

"Alex's little sister?"

"Yeah."

"Well hey!  What can I do for ya?"

"Do you know if the Luthors do anything aside from perform?"

"Pfft, what don't those bastards do?"  Kara bristles a little, not liking that Sam's words suggest that Lena is a part of it all.  "You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

"Like, do they go anywhere?  Make any other public appearances?"

"Ah, now you're talkin.  Let me make a few phone calls and I'll get back to you, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Cool.  Talk to ya later."

The line goes dead, and Kara is left to look down at the screen of her phone, wondering what in the hell it is that Samantha Arias actually does and how her sister got caught up with her, but that she doesn't care as long as it means it'll help her help Lena.

 

_You know that new club that opened up just past 57th_?

Kara bites her lip at the new text from Sam that pops up an hour later.  

_Yeah_

_High Luthor activity according to one of the bartenders_

_Thank you_

_Just be careful, they're dangerous_

Kara doesn't respond.  She knows they're dangerous, aside from the one she's going to talk to.

Alex repeats the message again later on that night before Kara slips out the door.

***

Lena spots her, turning back to the flock of groupies around her in order to excuse herself, charming smile getting hands to wrap around her arms and try to make her stay, but she manages to escape before Kara marches herself over there and forces them to let go.

"Danvers," the Luthor purrs, getting much closer into her personal space than she was prepared for, a lone finger trailing up and down her chest.

"Luthor," Kara greets, trying to keep her cool, but is quick to regret it when Lena's eyes flash with something dark and gloomy with the mention of her last name.  She recovers easy enough, the brief show of emotion uncharacteristic and hidden away after the years she's probably had her family force her to cover up all emotions.

Lena's eyes shift to the side, and before Kara can ask what the wandering eyes are for, the rest of Lena's fingers join her earlier lone one, running up the front of the detective's shirt to stop at the top button, nimble and lithe fingers making work of popping it open, then another, and another until her chest is clearly visible and the top of her bra is daring to peek through.  The magician ducks her fingers down Kara's sternum, briefly diving under her bra in a way that makes her heart race and her body yearn for something much,  _much_ more, before pulling back.

The blonde looks between them at the hand that was once touching her, a stupid card now between her fore and middle finger, casually reminding Kara that Lena wouldn't do any of this without a purpose.  

"Is this your card?" she whispers, and somehow Kara hears it over the pounding bass of the music.  Her eyes look from Lena's eyes, to her lips - getting stuck there for a bit, she's not gonna lie- then down to the card in question.

_They're watching_ it says, and Kara wants to scream at how crazy it is that Lena seems to have a card for every damn message.

"So, what?  I play the part of an admirer?"  

"Is that going to be difficult for you, Kara?"  The way she says her first name makes Kara's insides go crazy, but she's not gonna say that.  

"I think I'll manage," Kara murmurs instead, the look of admiration and lust on her face not at all part of an act.  

"So, what brings you here?" Lena asks, wrapping her arms around Kara's neck as if it was the most casual and normal thing in the world, smiling up at her with those pretty lips that Kara distinctly remembers being all over her skin just a week ago.  

"You," Kara answers, wrapping her arms around the Luthor's waist, subconsciously pulling her closer against her own body.  "I need more information."

"Like?"  Lena's head tilts innocently to the side, and Kara thinks she somehow looks a perfect mix between adorable and sexy, and she has no idea how that's possible.  

"How soon do you think they're going to make their move?"

"Soon," Lena says, eyes going dark for a second before shining once again.  She then brings her hand up to Kara's ear, the skin there going red and warm the second skin touches skin.  When she pulls her hand back, there's a quarter in her hand.  "Look what I found."

Kara rolls her eyes.  "That's the oldest trick in the book."

"Hmm," Lena hums, closing her hand around the quarter before opening her palm once again, another card now appearing.  Instead of it having a random message, it's an actual card from an actual deck.  A six of hearts...  "Is this better?"

"What does it mean?"

"The date."

"Of?"

"Oh come on, detective.  You can't be that dense, can you?"  She chuckles, airy and light and far too effective on Kara's hear than she'd like to admit.  Then, lips cover hers once again and she's transferred back into that bathroom, needy and wanting once again, swearing that when this is all over she's going to be doing this for the rest of her life if she can.

Their lips part, and their bodies break apart with Lena's retreating form.  The Luthor doesn't even spare a glance back at her, and Kara watches her with the sudden taste of metallic copper in her mouth.  She groans, opening her mouth and picking out the quarter Lena "found" behind her ear earlier.  

***

February sixth.  

Lena was right: she is dense.

She can't believe it took her that long to realize the hearts represented the month they were currently in.  

In her defense, those fucking eyes and alluring lips are just a tad bit distracting.

It's a Tuesday, lining up with one of the show days of the week.  

Kara shares what she knows with the team, and they begin to prepare.

***

The date of the show comes up far too soon, but just as Lena said, there's already headlines in the paper and all media outlets about some big wigs that are going to show up at the show with their families, praising the Luthor Lure, the family of magicians that have captured National City's hearts.  Kara isn't sure if this is also the date that Lena Luthor is going to have an attempted murder take place on her, but she remembers how Lena talked about her families love of "accidents", and a shiver runs down her spine at the thought of it.  

They enter the theatre all at different times and spread out throughout the theatre, much more packed tonight than usual with the news of certain audience members and a promise of a big surprise from the Luthor family.  

"Big surprise" means an "accident" is just waiting to happen.

The show starts off just like any other, the audience riled up and cheering with the tricks of deceit and optical illusions.

Kara's knee is shaking up and down in her seat, nervous energy keeping her eyes trained like a hawk on Lena and how vulnerable she is up there on stage next to the very people that are willing and ready to kill her in order to punish her betrayal. 

Instead of breaking up into solo acts like usual, a new segment is introduced.

Said new segment is the infamous tank of water shut tight with no fucking way of escape. 

"And taking on the Chinese Water Torture Cell," Kara winces at the name of the contraption, knowing that nothing good is going to come from it, "my daughter," oh fuck, "Lena Luthor!"

Lena's eyes widen, and doesn't bother trying to hide it as Lillian happily walks over to her (practically skipping with joy), chains in hand as Lex wraps what looks like a supporting arm around her shoulder, but Kara can see how it traps Lena and keeps her from running.  

The chains click shut, rope being added for no fucking reason other than to be sure that Lena has absolutely no chance of escape, but the audience just sees it as more of an effect, excited about what's to come and to see her do the amazing and impossible.

Kara knows that the impossible is most definitely the impossible, especially if the Luthors have anything to do with it.

Lillian and Lex drag Lena towards the tank, though to the audience it looks as though Lena is compliant, only acting up for the show, and some audience members have the nerve to  _laugh_.

The top of the tank opens, and Lionel begins a count down that has the crowd counting along with him, ten seconds turning into one, and then Lena is unceremoniously pushed into the water and locked inside.

Kara hopes she had time to suck in a deep enough breath.

Dramatic music begins to play, and a black curtain rises to hide the tank, the audience believing that it's so they don't get to see Lena's tricks of getting out, but Kara knows its to hide her struggling and panicking body.

J'onn takes that as his cue to stand, gun raised.  He yells something, and the rest of the team stands as well, weapons poised while the cheers turn into shrill screams.  Lionel pulls something out of his pocket, throwing it to the floor, and the team realizes too late that it's a smoke bomb, and no matter how little it lasts, it's enough for a family of trained professionals that do tricks like these on a daily basis.  

When the smoke clears, the Luthors are gone.  J'onn is barking orders, running out of the theatre with Alex in tow, James running over to the VIP guests to stand guard, and Winn is chasing Kara as she runs up on stage, the two of them barely skidding to a stop as they make it to the tank.  Winn pulls down the curtain, and the audience gasps in unified shock and horror at Lena's body contorting and struggling with all effort she has, banging and kicking against the container as she opens her mouth in silenced screams for help. The music stops, and everyone can now hear the bangs against the glass, the sounds that were being masked and covered by the cleverly placed music by the rest of her family.  She thrashes and scrambles as Kara and Winn hurry to find a way of letting her out, knowing that hitting the glass like Lena is won't do anything.  They would need a hammer or something, but of course there's none of that in reach because the Luthors didn't plan on saving their daughter/sister.  

Of course there's their guns, but they can't guarantee the bullets won't ricochet off the container.  

Lena's movements become slowed, and Kara feels like she's going to have a heart attack before she can get the Luthor free.  

The seconds continue to drone on as Kara and Winn yell at each other, bouncing ideas back and forth, the audience even yelling out suggestions while distant sirens are heard.  Lena's lack of oxygen starts to show, body going still, and Kara is ready to throw herself at the container and punch and kick until it fucking opens.  

Lena's skin is so pale and lifeless, eyelids fluttering because its the only movement and expense of energy her body can afford as she just slowly sinks in the water, no longer able to fight.  Kara bangs on the glass, screaming and shouting, desperate to keep Lena awake and aware, but of course her efforts can only last so long when Lena can't fucking breathe.  With one last surge of energy, Lena brings her hands up to her chest, a single finger tapping at the right side of her blazer where the inside pocket would be.  Kara looks down at her own coat, reaching into the pocket and pulling out...a card.

She flips it over, reading the scribbled  _thank you_ through tear blurred eyes.  

The Luthor's body goes slack, and the audience goes quiet.

Kara is frozen.

Winn shouts at her, and even James is shouting from his position in the audience...and then Alex is shouting, and then J'onn is shouting, even  _Sam_ is shouting...the audience is shouting...then Lex Luthor is shouting.

"MOVE!"

Winn runs over and tackles Kara out of the way as Lex brings a sledgehammer against the contraption.  The sound of it hitting the glass booms across the silence, and the resounding cracks soon sound, growing and growing until finally water comes rushing out of the container and off the stage, Lena's limp body riding the wave of movement until Lex grabs her and moves her to the side. 

Alex is there in a second, James forcing Lex's arms behind his back as he arrests him, but he seems okay with the outcome, allowing James to do as he must while Alex takes over on reviving the one good Luthor in a batch of bad. 

Silence continues to devour the theatre, Alex's "come on, Lena" being the only thing that anyone could hear aside from their own hearts beating in their chests. 

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on,  _come on_ ," Kara mumbles to herself, watching with baited breath as Lena remains still while Alex performs CPR.  

Finally,  _finally_ , a cough sounds out, followed by another, then another, and then Lena Luthor is choking up water and turning onto her side to let it out of her mouth, shivering and looking weak but  _alive_.   

***

Lionel Luthor, Lillian Luthor, and Lex Luthor end up locked behind bars once and for all.

Lena Luthor attends their trials, standing proud and defiant as her parents look at the girl they tried to drown, and her brother smiles, happy he chose to go against his parents and save her.  

When the trial is over, Lena finds Kara waiting for her outside the courtroom, smile on her lips.

"So, I know you might be kinda tired of magic tricks by now," the detective says, both of them taking unconscious steps closer and closer.  "But, how about one more?"  Lena raises her eyebrows, looking bemused, but then laughs as she sees Kara pull out a few cards, spreading them out and offering them to the Luthor.  "Pick a card."

Lena smirks, carefully choosing one and bringing it up to look at it.  

"What does it say?"

"That's not how these work."

"Well it is how  _I_ do it, so tell me what card you have."

"An eight of clubs."

Kara grins.

"March eighth it is, then."

Lena tilts her head again, narrowing her eyes at the blonde.

"And what, dear Danvers, is happening on March eighth?"

"I'm taking you out to dinner."

 


End file.
